The exact quote is : ” It was strychnine in his coffee.” This quote was gleaned from Poirot. Series 3. Episode 3. ” Million Dollar Bond Robbery.”

Oh No ! Not another strychnine case! In the Victorian days, it seemed like it was a favorite way to kill off your favorite rich uncle. While reading up on Agatha Christie’s life one author mentioned that during the war that Agatha was able to get a job in an pharmacy…there she was able to learn all the deadly poisons and then promptly incorporated them into her stories. This poor nurse looks like somehow she’s mistakenly stirred some into her coffee as well. The description of her having the pallor of deaths bed, seems appropriate. If it’s not strychnine then I’d have to fathom that it’s the fashions foibles of that period. Back then the women wore whale bones tight around their middle to make them look svelte. Basically, it would make their middle waists tiny why boosting their breasts forward… skyward! Can you imagine how uncomfortable this probably was? In historical pictures the women look beautiful . I’ve also seen maids pulling hard on the back strings to make it so tight that the woman would say they felt like they could faint…And when they weren’t showing off their body attributes they were lying in bed sickly. Nurse uniforms were decidedly different but still the Victorian body contortionists fashion ideas still creep in. Did you notice how the nurse’s neck seems squeezed! That collar is just too tight. She seems to be gasping for air… I think the nurse is trying to convey to Poirot that she’s definitely a part of the patient’s convalescence but …overworked and maybe feeling the strain. That’s Poirot in the background looking quizzically at the nurse. Is the nurse part of the solution ? Or part of the problem? The ending definitely surprised me.

This Snowy owl is now regaining strength at the Raptor Center in St. Paul, Minnesota.The Duluth coffee company that helped facilitate this wild snowy owl’s survival is Alakef Coffee. Check them out at Alakef .com. They have a wide array of product lines . Top notch coffee, teas, fun monthly coffee programs…and they also support locally and globally a lot of nonprofits and city community projects. Support the companies that are doing good things within our world….Information about this lucky owl was gleaned from a story “Cafe Owl Lait:Raptor Rescued From Roastery” December 2nd, 2017. Check it out. Written by Pam Louwagie with the Star Tribune. December 2nd, 2017.

A Saturday afternoon treat sipping a Cafe Miel while filling out the crossword puzzle. 1 Across… Mr….four letters…Oh I know that one Mr. Bean! One down, one hundred and thirty-one to go.( A sip of coffee) Letter designs…Umm five squares.. Oh Of Course. Fonts! (Sip of coffee) and a gaze around the coffee shop noting new artwork…O.K. 1 Down…You can’t park in it…three squares…shed? House?Yard? Uh…move on…Next! 19 down..small matter? Why a question mark? Are they trying to trip me up? Let’s see four squares…OH OH I know this one…Atom! Next! 26 down…Stereotypical Witch feature…four squares… chin..Nope…eyes… Nope….OH…Wart! Next! 32 Across…Coffee house fixture…three squares….Art! Of course!…Unsure…Ummm. starts with a “U” No idea …Move on…(two sips of coffee) O.K. Next! 33 Across… Five squares..Part of roof…shingles…(8) ..leaf catcher? what is that name? Why can’t I remember..I wonder if this is what a brain fart is? Oh wait the word is on the tip of my tongue …Gutters!..One..two …three… RATS! (7) Starts with an “R” and ends with an “E.” I can’t believe this is so hard..My goal is to finish one whole puzzle before the end of 2017 -every word correct… O.K….O.K. Let’s get down to business again.. 34 Across.. Salon worker…seven squares…could be…Yes..Stylist! Ooooh… I’m on a roll today…53 Across…60’s Peacenik…what a funny word…six squares….hipster? Last letter “E” No idea. Next! 63 across…Bite one’s nails…four squares…this should be easy because I do it….Ummm ( sip of coffee) starts with a “F”…ends with a “T” Nothing…Frat…Float…Fart..Fish…Oh… I give up!

The exact quote is : ” It’s a caramel ginger Bailey’s cappuccino.” This quote was gleaned from the series “Top Chef Holiday Spirit.”

There’s something about food being really sweet. Last night for my opening I brought ginger pecan brittle brownies. I was describing them to people as “deathly sweet” and still they disappeared with such veracity that it left me astounded. I have this way of making up recipes . In my head I can visualize how they will taste. I secretly watch as people bite into them . That first bite, the way their eyes shift and then the ravenous movement to finish it in a bite or so . Almost like they are afraid the sweet patrol may grab it out of their sticky fingers. I noticed a couple of people grabbing a couple of pieces. I wasn’t sure if they were creating a secret stash or if they just might be sharing it with their loved ones. I create these brownies twice a year for my openings at Highpoint Center for Printmaking. This is where I print. One time, of course I added a lot of coffee to my brownies…it didn’t seem to faze anyone though it seemed like people were moving at a quicker step…Another time I added really spicy Chinese sauce, these brownies disappeared with such speed that it even surprised me. A few years ago , I made my brownies with lavender. I know it sounds strange but in my head it made sense. See, I can’t eat my chocolate-brown sweet earth shuddering creations because I’m gluten-free. It makes me rely on my “little gray cells ” as Poirot says in the Agatha Christie stories. It’s like I can taste my visualization . Maybe it’s an artist thing. The funny thing about the lavender brownies was that people kept coming up to me and asking what was in the brownies? Usually they just eat my brownies wordlessly with a look of estasy in their faces…. Then someone actually brought the elephant out of the corner of the room and asked if I had put Cannabis, weed or pot in my brownies? I just about choked on my carrot! No! I said, clearly emphasizing the words… Carla would kill me…not an option! They eyed me suspiciously, then went off to grab the few remaining offending pieces. Alas because of this kerfuffle in baking ingredients I’ve decided to stay away from the herbs and rely on the sweet concoctions. Only once after a show did I have to plead with one of the printmakers to take the rest home to eat. It just proves artists can make mistakes too and not all our creations are earth-shaking. I think this is why I like watching these cooking shows…These chefs are given strange ingredients and then given 20 minutes for an entree…or four hours to create a 15 layered, multi-dimensional, 6 flavored monstrosity that is eye appealing and tastes good. As viewers we watch in total fascination as they sweat, swear, weep, laugh psychotically , shake uncontrollably and heave sighs of relief when they are finished. Almost like the Grande Finale. Amazing!

The exact quote is : ” Oh, yeah Stella…the coffee you made has a kick! ” This quote was gleaned lovingly from the movie series “Project runway.” Fifth Season.

If I was a creative sort of person I could recreate this quote to promote a whole bunch of products..right? So the new quote is: ” Hey Melania…this coffee you made is kick ass! Is this my own brand?…Trump Coffee? I thought so. Make sure you drink my coffee brand in my “Make U.S.A. Great Again” coffee cup.I have them in red , blue and white and green. I know green isn’t on the flag but it’s the color of money so it makes total sense to me…I think my Trump coffee cups make the coffee taste amazing. The Trump Coffee cups are Huge…really Huge. With Christmas in 24 days …Don’t forget to buy all your friends and acquaintances my other red hat that says “Drink More Trump Coffee” you can order it on Trump.com. I have a special going at this very moment…buy 58 hats and get one FREE. What a bargain. I have my own shipping company . I call it Trump Gets It Done With Rockets! Or as we say in the White House ” TGIDWR.” I call all my shipping workers –Trump Rocket men! Now as you all can see …the weather is getting a bit nippy. Don’t forget to order long johns- His and Hers, socks, gloves, scarves, sweaters ( Melania and Ivanka designed them. ) Don’t forget as well, hats, boots, coats and skis. Everything can be bought at Trump.com. Don’t forget….to go look at my booming website! Let’s make USA great again!

The exact quote is : “I’ll make you some coffee…” This quote was gleaned from the movie “Weeds” Season. Episode 1.

It’s not often I have a man in my bed, saying to me in his husky voice..”. I’ll make you some coffee.” Is this a test? What kind of coffee? Will he order it out or make it himself? Does he know that I’ve secretly vowed not to let even a drop of coffee to touch my supple lips? I know my promises aren’t usually long-term . It’s the thought that counts. True, I never told him…but sometimes I think he can read me…Will he know where my grinder or my cute French Press is ? I suppose I can put my coffee sacrifice back on the back burner…for a while. Do we really need to get up? Can’t we lay in bed for the day like they do in the movies? Wait! You can’t compare the importance of drug busts and the DEA sick day policies to our love and sleeping in? Can you? Why are you staring so intently into my eyes? Do I have something on my face? I thought some ” Afternoon Delight” would calm me down…Some strenuous excersising…Relieve all my pent-up energy..It just doesn’t seem to be working effectively. This evening I’m participating in of a printmaking show at Highpoint Center for Printmakers. My outfit is ready…my brownies made….I’m ready! Oh no! I’m out of cream…..

The exact quote is: ” So you believe the drug was administered in her after-dinner coffee..” This quote was gleaned from Poirot Series 3 Episode 1 . ” The Mysterious Affair at Style.”

There’s something very Freudian about this sketch. I’m not saying it’s a love triangle gone bad…it’s just that there’s this electrical energy that seems to be flowing between the three of them. Sigmund Freud had a theory about humans having a subconscious. His theories spoke of the constant conflict between sexual and aggressive impulses …speaks volumes. I always wondered if Agatha Christie ever met Dr. Freud while he was exiled in England. In 1933, the Nazis started to publicly burn his books. He was able to leave Vienna with his wife and one of his six children. Being he was Jewish, it wasn’t safe for him anymore. I thought maybe she had met him when she had her eleven day nervous breakdown and ended up in a sanitorium, in 1926. But the dates don’t match up . Agatha Christie must have known of him because a lot of his theories seem to wind though her murder mysteries. Unbeknownst to me the artist and writer to this blog…Sigmund Freud had an unusual aversion to chickens. He wouldn’t eat them. At home or at friends houses. Well actually there were two things he really hated chickens and cauliflower! So I thought it was funny that in the background of the sketch are chickens ! But I didn’t know this earth-shaking fact then ( I did the sketch a month ago) …I believe -it was something in my subconscious… For alas, I am one the few and far between that also doesn’t eat chickens or turkey . Being that I do like eating vegetables I will eat a cauliflower food if there isn’t any thing else edible to eat. Could this be a DNA thing?

I like to google silly questions like …Did Agatha or Sigmund drink coffee?…and sure enough I found some ground- breaking information…Sigmund did drink coffee. His favorite place to go still exists in Vienna- Cafe Landtmann. With Agatha, it was harder to find out. She did leave one quote behind that might give you an inkling. She once said that coffee in England was like drinking a chemical experiment. Hercules Poirot always drank hot chocolate. Need I say more?

Imaginary quote: ” Oh dear…it’s getting closer …I need to relish this moment before it shifts into the Christmas season …Oh.. oh doesn’t freshly brewed coffee smell delicious! Let’s sit down and have a chat.” This quote is totally 100 percent made up.

The exact quote is : ” Umm..cigarettes, there was coffee..there was a movie theatre…a library…even a swimming pool in Auschwitz. This idiotic quote was found in the movie : KKK :The Fight for White Supremacy.

Lately it seems like I’m writing about controversial subjects. As I’ve said before sometimes you find coffee quotes in the strangest places. I watched this movie, just to see what we are up against. I also wanted to learn more on how people like this tick. But to tell you the truth, the movie just made me angry. The man in the sketch and who’s mouth the quote came out of..was only 24. I wondered where he was getting his facts about World War ll and how the prisoners of war were really treated. It seemed like he was just regurgitating someone else’s vitriol. I wondered if he had ever travelled outside his little town in the sticks. Outside of the U.S. I wondered if he had ever read a book. It seemed like a lot of the people in this town wanted to be in a social group…wanted to drink and talk. But when the camera got too close it seemed like they knew they could be courting trouble and their eyes betrayed them. There’s a scene where a group of men have their white outfits on. One says he’s a teacher…another works in the hospital. They are afraid to show their faces because they might lose their jobs. To me the ultimate injustice was to raise a child to think that shouting “White Power” is appropriate behavior…and hiding behind a mask is normal. I wasn’t even sure they really knew what the history of the KKK was and what this group historically – really did. Which was to terrorize the black population. They killed, maimed, raped,blew up churches, harassed, abused the Black population as well as Catholics, Jews, Spanish people as well as people from other countries. That this young man actually believes what he said in the quote makes me believe in brain rot.